Reilly rules out negotiations with doctors on free GP care

The Government will consult with doctors' representatives on its plans for the introduction of free GP care for all children under age 6 but will not negotiate, particularly on fees, the Minister for Health James Reilly has said.

Dr Reilly said there would be no financial loss for GPs as a result of the introduction of free GP care for young children.

“One thousand GMS patients are on average worth €250,000 to a GP. A thousand private patients are worth somewhere between €100,000 and €125,000.”

He declined to specify the fees the Government would be proposing to GPs to provide care to children under 6.

However he signalled the fees would be broadly in line with those currently available for treating other patients under the GMS or medical card scheme.

“In general what is available at the moment will be what is available.”

Dr Reilly said he would have to discuss proposed fee levels with the Minister of State at the Department of Health Alex White who will be meeting with GP representatives yesterday.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Dr Reilly confirmed that following the meetings a draft contract for GPs would be published on the HSE ’s website.

He said the consultation process could look at issues in the draft contract that could be improved upon while there could also be some problematic items that might have to be addressed.

However he said: “We are not negotiating and we are not negotiating on fees.”

The Government has set aside €37 million this year for the introduction of free GP care for children under six which it sees as a first step towards the introduction of universal free GP care by 2016.

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has been strongly crticical of the Government's approach to the introduction of its plans for free GP care and has also argued it should be involved in negotiations with the Government on the plan.

The chairman of the IMO's GP committee Dr Ray Walley said: "Our view remains that the Government has given insufficient thought and planning to make this change as envisaged and we are very sceptical of the feasibility of doing what they have set out to do.

“Unlike patients suffering from long term illness who are currently being deprived of a medical card, there is no medical evidence underpinning the decision to extend GP Visit Cards to all children under the age of six irrespective of the means of their families and we will make this point to the Minister.

“”The IMO is the only trade union holding a negotiating licence on behalf of GPs which allows us to negotiate on their behalf. So we are ready and willing to finally begin the process of negotiating on the introduction of what is without doubt a profound change in health .”

Dr Walley said any change to contractual terms and conditions must be fully negotiated as happens in all other sectors. He said to do otherwise would be “to impose contract by diktat.”